Music Shuffle Drabbles
by You've Got Mail Jeevas
Summary: Just a few more Death Note drabbles, this time using the lovely tradition of putting your music player on shuffle and writing a drabble inspired by whatever songs you play. Pairings, ratings, and themes will vary.
1. Smooth Criminal

(Author's note: XD The first song that came up on my shuffle was 'Smooth Criminal,' by Alien Ant Farm. For a minute I wondered how I could even remotely make it have anything to do with Death Note, but then making it one of L's cases came to mind! :D Enjoy!)

* * *

L could remember the very first case he'd ever worked on.

It wasn't particularly complicated, but he found it interesting in the most horrifying way. He could remember being taken to the crime scene, studying the deep red stains on the carpet in the woman's apartment. He remembered idly thinking the cause of death was most likely blunt trauma to the head.

The whole thing had been calm and calculated. He didn't have to get involved, just look at the facts and the evidence.

Then they took him to see the body.

His eyes were as wide as ever as he looked over the woman's corpse, chewing his thumbnail. He quickly noted that the defensive wounds on her arms were probably caused by the knife found at the scene of the crime and confirmed the cause of death before hurrying out of the room. Even _he_ couldn't stay detached from seeing something like that right in front of him; the woman's hair mottled and matted with blood, her face still contorted in fear. A small tag tied to her toe read 'Annie .'

After that day, L never once failed to put any criminal he pursued behind bars.


	2. Strawberry Gashes

(Author's note: This one was inspired by 'Strawberry Gashes,' by Jack Off Jill. o.O God, this song is morbid. :D Perfect for everyone's favorite psycho! XD Anyone who's read 'Death Note: Another Note' should recognize this guy pretty easily. This one is a little violent, so don't read if you're offended by that. XD Or easily grossed out, I guess.)

* * *

He couldn't help but laugh when he watched people die. He loved seeing the numbers above their heads dwindling as he carved into them. He liked listening to them scream. And he especially liked to watch them bleed.

You see, red was his favorite color, and he got to see it all the time. Every person, every blade of grass, even the sky was stained deep crimson when he looked at them. And what put him into a particularly good mood was seeing things that were already red to begin with. He would seek those things out. Strawberries, jam—oh, how he loved jam—and his favorite, of course, blood.

Beyond smiled contentedly at his day's work, letting his face twist into a mad Cheshire cat grin as the woman's lifespan slowly faded in time with her pulse.


	3. Cagefighter

(Author's note: XD I…I have no excuse for this. I have a lot of Napoleon Dynamite quotes on my itunes, and it's not fair to skip a song, so...you know. This happened. I suppose Light really would eat all the chips. XD This is obviously inspired by the cage-fighter quote in Napoleon Dynamite.)

* * *

L glanced over at Light, looking annoyed.

"Light, you have been sitting there eating chips for approximately one hour and 17 minutes. You're going to eat all the chips in the headquarters in one day, at this rate."

Light scoffed, popping another chip into his mouth and crunching it loudly. "Ryuuzaki, don't be jealous that I've been chatting online with babes all day."

The dark haired man raised an eyebrow. "What—"

"And besides," Light cut him off, still eating, "we both know I'm training to be a cage-fighter."

"Light, I do not see what that has to do with—"

"Try and hit me, Ryuuzaki."

L sighed irritably, rubbing his temples. "What?"

"I said come here and see what happens if you try and hit me."

Light was promptly roundhouse kicked in the stomach, and was never permitted to watch Napoleon Dynamite again.


	4. Mercy

(Author's note: 'Mercy,' by OneRepublic. Aww, this is such a cute song for Matt and Mello! :D)

* * *

After the explosion, Mello thought he was dead.

Lying helplessly in the ruins of the mafia's destroyed base, he was sure he had been sent to Hell. Then, vaguely, he could hear Matt's voice. Feel Matt desperately clawing through the rubble and lifting him into his arms before rushing back to his car.

He could see out the window from where Matt had laid him in the backseat, and he watched the streetlamps blur by as they sped back to their apartment. Matt whispered hushed words of assurance the whole way there. It's alright, it'll be okay. Mello wasn't sure if the words were for him or if Matt was trying to convince himself, but he accepted them and closed his eyes.

Matt had rushed him into the apartment, disinfecting the burns and bandaging him up. He just held still the whole time, his breath hitching in pain every time the burns were touched.

From then until the burns were completely healed, Matt took care of him. And somehow, the redhead managed to never make him feel helpless or weak. He just felt cared for.

Being with Matt was all it ever took for him to regain his faith, because when Matt was around, he was sure angels existed.


	5. Weekend

(Author's note: 'Weekend,' by The Birthday Massacre. D: I had a little trouble relating this to Death Note, but hopefully it isn't too obvious that I was struggling. XD Also, I would recommend listening to the song while you read the drabbles. Would anyone like me to post the lyrics to whichever song the drabbles are inspired by, too? Let me know in your reviews!)

* * *

The children at Wammy's House were little soldiers, trained to think and question and observe, all for the ultimate objective of succeeding the commander; becoming L. But there were many of them, and only one could come out on top.

So they marched on, staring straight ahead. Many cracked and crumbled under the pressure, falling to the ground and being trampled by the constantly marching boots. The others wanted to stop and help, oh God, they did. But they couldn't, so they kept on, watching as their numbers steadily shrank.

Then there were only three soldiers left, stumbling on without guidance after their commander was taken from them. Near was ahead by a few steps, followed shakily by Mello and Matt. They knew where they had to go, what they had to achieve.

The only thing they didn't know was if it was truly worth the casualties.


	6. Tyrant

(Author's note: 'Tyrant,' by OneRepublic. XD As soon as I looked at the song title, I knew the drabble just had to be about Light. The song was oddly fitting for him. D: Good lord, I hope a happy song comes up next.)

* * *

Looking back on his life, Light wondered what went wrong.

Where did his path twist from justice and lead him to become a tyrant? When did his righteous ideals develop into evil?

It had all seemed so right as he was doing it. Every death had seemed necessary. He only wanted to make things better. To help.

Maybe, he thought, killing L was the point of no return; the point at which his path truly twisted beyond repair.

He felt his heart give a little wrench. He noted with a dulled sense of fear that he was having a heart attack. He was really dying. Closing his eyes, he wondered if this was what L had felt when he died.

As his vision faded, Light could've sworn he felt thin, spidery fingers gently petting his hair.


	7. A Beautiful Lie

(Author's note: 'A Beautiful Lie,' by 30 Seconds To Mars. So, I love this song. I love this band. And I love Death Note. Combine them, and you get a drabble that was really fun for me to write. XD)

* * *

L knew everything about their relationship was a lie.

Every time Light kissed him, every time he ran his hands across the teen's bare chest, and every time they crawled into bed together. It was all just one gigantic lie. And it hurt him to think about that, so he didn't.

All he knew was that any contact with Light was the most beautiful thing he'd ever experienced in his life. More beautiful than anything his mind could process, sometimes. And definitely more beautiful than anything he deserved.

So he ignored the fact that it was a lie. Sometimes he would stare into the boy's eyes, not stopping even when the brunette squirmed uncomfortably. If he stared long enough, he could see that Light was ignoring the brutal deceitfulness of what they were doing, too.

"Well," L murmured to himself one night as he watched Light sleep, "As long as I'm not the only one."


	8. Cherry Lips

(Author's note: 'Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go),' by Garbage. You all have no idea just how hard I laughed when this song came up on the shuffle. XD Looks like we finally have a song that isn't depressing! XD I'm not sure if I completely got my point across in this one, it seems a little muddled for some reason. I might come back and do a little editing to this one later.)

* * *

Matt's first encounter with Mello was pretty awkward.

Only noticing the back of a perfect head of blonde hair, he walked over, assuming it belonged to a girl.

He grinned and put his hands on the blonde's slender hips, and almost had time to put together a pick-up line before the other boy smashed a fist into his face.

He didn't see Mello again until he woke up in the hospital wing of Wammy's house with a busted lip. The boy sat at the end of his bed, muttering an apology and holding a piece of a chocolate bar out to him.

Three shared chocolate bars and a few conversations later, Matt decided he had never before been so grateful for a punch to the face.


	9. Emergency

(Author's note: 'Emergency,' by Paramore. This one isn't exactly cheery, but it has a sweet, romantic ending. XD So I'm hoping that makes up for it. :D I'm already working on the next chapter, and it's all gushy and romantic, so don't fear another depressing chapter anytime soon.)

* * *

In their time together at Wammy's, Mello had seen Matt date a lot of people, and he saw every one of them break his heart.

Matt told him everything. He knew about Matt's first kiss; the girl that left him a week afterwards. He knew about the boy Matt lost his virginity to; the jerk that had only been using him.

He saw Matt fall in love time after time, only for it to waste away and die, no matter how hard the redhead tried to keep it alive. And every time that happened, the boy came crying to Mello.

This was one of those times. Matt was practically curled up in Mello's lap, his face buried in the blonde's shirt as he cried. Mello was sick of this. He didn't want to watch Matt get hurt anymore. He gripped the redhead's chin, lifting his head and kissing him. It wasn't sweet or gentle, but possessive and demanding. And Matt returned it, because he recognized the meaning behind it, and it was just what he needed.

Long after the kiss ended, the message stayed in Matt's mind: Mello would protect him.


	10. Sleep Tight

(Author's note: 'Sleep Tight,' by Death Cab For Cutie. Just as promised, this chapter is as fluffy and romantic as anything. XD)

* * *

If you asked Mello what his favorite place in the world was, he would probably say the backseat of Matt's car.

It was his favorite place to take a break from driving, leaning against Matt's shoulder and eating a chocolate bar as the gamer wrapped an arm around his waist.

It was his favorite place to sleep, his arms around Matt as the redhead curled up next to him, as close as he could get.

It was his favorite place to wake up, not minding the soreness in his back from the cramped conditions when he saw the way Matt smiled in his sleep.

And it was his favorite place to watch the sunrise, the early morning light reflecting off of Matt's goggles as he wrapped the blanket tighter around the both of them.

On second thought, any place with Matt could've been his favorite.


	11. A Walk Through Hell

(Author's note: 'A Walk Through Hell,' by Say Anything. This drabble has almost nothing to do with the song, but it's what came to mind when I listened to it. XD)

* * *

A detective dies, and halfway across the planet, a boy's world is torn apart.

"He's dead, Matt! Don't you get it?!"

And in a chain reaction, his friend's world begins cracking as well.

"I know, Mello, but—"

They both know what's coming as the blonde boy starts shoving his clothes into a bag.

"I'm leaving! Near can be L's successor! I don't care!"

"Mello, I—"

"I'll do things my own way! _I'll_ stop Kira and avenge L!"

"Mello—"

"_I'll_ be number one!"

"_Mello_!"

The blonde finally stops his ranting to look at his friend. Hands grip his shoulders and pull him into a kiss, and blue eyes widen with genuine surprise.

"Take me with you."


	12. Bad Habit

(Author's note: 'Bad Habit,' by The Dresden Dolls. XD I was in such a good mood when I wrote this, and then I looked back and saw how depressing the idea really is. I'm still pretty proud of it, though. Hope it doesn't depress anyone too much. Also, there's a_ dirty word_ in this one! BEWARE. XD And uh…spoiler for Matt's real name, if it still counts as a spoiler after the show has already aired. *ends ridiculously long author's note*)

* * *

Sometimes, Matt thought he'd like to give the world a beating. One for the cards it had dealt him in life, he thought, and maybe even a pre-emptive one for anything else it was going to impose on him.

The thoughts seemed so familiar to him, but it felt like they weren't even his own. Like they were something someone had instilled in him. He shook his head and lit a cigarette, mumbling to himself a bit. "Not mentally spewing philosophical bullshit. Definitely not thinking about Dad."

But he was, and that was where these thoughts took root, right? Who else had ever told him pain was a teacher; a thrashing a lesson plan? Who was the one who taught him how many meanings there could be behind a good beating?

Matt took a drag of his cigarette, chuckling as he kept up his quiet conversation with himself. "What was it he always said to me?"

_This is for your own good, Mail._

And suddenly he wasn't laughing anymore, his breath hitching a little as he suppressed a shudder. Snuffing out his cigarette, Matt stood up and went back into his apartment.

For all his thinking devoted to the world's greatly deserved beating, he still found it much more productive to just give one to himself.


End file.
